In Lifeblood, TIME's Africa Bureau Chief, Alex Perry,
chronicles billionaire-turned-philanthropist Raymond Chambers'
efforts in tackling the burden of malaria in Africa, as he pioneered a
campaign that saved countless lives and revolutionised the provision of
foreign aid in a global context. In a feat of rarely encountered
success, the campaign, initiated in 2006, rallied the support of
numerous highly influential individuals, corporations and organisations,
and saw the distribution of 289 million mosquito nets in 7 of the
African continent's countries most severely affected by the
illness.

Perry outlines the strengths of the campaign--drawn from the
unsophisticated yet highly effective solution of net distribution, and
the application of business acumen to aid provision. Aptly labelled
'the business of caring', Chambers' approach to aid
provision was centred on effective management and the amalgamation of
business and aid in a three-pronged model co-ordinating political
leadership, investors and the media. This effectively galvanised the
efforts of traditional funders and aid organisations in accordance with
the United Nations (UN) Millennium Development Goals, and saw
Chambers' subsequent appointment as the first UN Special Envoy for
Malaria.

Where previous efforts had failed, Chambers' approach
succeeded with the valuable recognition of the need to address the
malaria-poverty cycle: malaria breeds poverty, which in turn
precipitates the spread of the illness. In a continent already crippled
by famine and AIDS, the cost of malaria in Africa amounts to 30-40
billion USD per annum. With this in mind and his insight into the
corruption and mismanagement of foreign aid plaguing Third-World
development, Chambers took the initiative to make one of the oldest and
hardest challenges in medicine a concern for the business sector.

The book begins with a startling portrayal of 'the most
malarious place on earth'--Apac, Uganda--where 'the reality is
that African babies are dying so that Western babies can wear
organic'. Here, legal action taken by organic cotton farmers
supplying First-World clothing labels halted insecticide spraying which
had previously cut malaria incidence by one-half. The book comes full
circle, concluding with an account of the author's return to the
malaria 'epicentre' after the campaign. Testimony to the
success of Chambers' efforts, Perry finds that the campaign has
breathed life back into the village with profound changes.

Perry's reporter slant on the tale is refreshing--albeit
utopian at times--and is entwined with fascinating morsels on the
evolutionary, historical, scientific and political contexts of malaria;
from its discovery to how it shaped the course of colonisation. The
author eloquently contrasts the horror of the disease with the triumphs
in the struggle against it. Lifeblood is a captivating read for medical
professionals and non-professionals alike, and is valuable to anyone
concerned with healthcare development.